The pandemic, lockdowns, threats of war... the hopelessness of it all. The world truly felt like it was ending. My days became empty and my dream of becoming a doctor felt further and further away - how ironic. In order to cope, I found myself taking up old hobbies I now had time for again.
The doom and gloom loomed over me like a spectre and I found myself withdrawing further to try to escape the madness. I always found solace in gaming and, in particular, CoD Zombies. It was my go-to when I was stressed - exams, a bad breakup - no matter what, it was always there.
I dusted off the Black Ops One disc as a vapour of voices flowed in through the open window. It was a hot, humid, summer night - even by Scottish standards. Though, there was something reassuring about hearing the street outside bustling with life again; it was a glimmer of how things used to be.
After inserting the disc, I walked over to my bed where my dog was sleeping. I cuddled her and gave her a kiss before reaching out to pick up my controller. The anxiety rattled through my body as my head spun with all my worries. I took a deep breath and pressed the PS button earning a confirmatory beep from the console. The loading screen welcomed me before I selected Black Ops One from the menu. The game then loaded before I selected Zombies and eagerly entered a public lobby.
As much as I like Primis my heart was always set on the old school zombies with the Ultimis crew. To my surprise, and without much wait, I found a team despite the heavily modded lobbies. The familiar music began to play during the Kino Der Toten loading screen. After loading in, I was greeted by a familiar pair of black gloves holding the starting pistol. Playing as Richtofen always made me happy as I could play the game while hearing all his funny quotes.
A few hours were spent on the map as we got to a high round before my console began to glitch and lag with the sheer number of zombies loading in at any given time. I persevered, subsequently falling just short of my best round. The feelings of doom and gloom felt long forgotten as I had immersed myself in the game.
It was now 11:59pm and I soon found a good team for Der Riese. I had zoned out momentarily as I waited for the game to load before realising I had been stuck on the loading screen for much longer than usual. I could no longer hear the other players' microphones and so I was forced to turn off the console and clean my disc.
I got up from my bed - with phone in hand as I had been on Instagram while I waited - and made my way over to my PS3. I reached out to press the button to eject the disc before a jolt of electricity rushed through my left arm. Before I knew what was happening... I blacked out.
"A new toy to play vith..."
When I came to, I realised I was now the subject of many pairs of eyes all standing around me as I lay on what seemed to be a gravel surface. In a sudden rush of adrenaline, I tried to get up to run or at least put up a fight but my body felt heavy and battle worn. Their faces were obscured by the heavy rays of glowing moonlight as it shone directly above us. However, I noticed them all turn to look at one figure to the right.
"Do not try to move, fräulein. Jou are injured." The voice spoke in a thick German accent.
I felt my face crumple with confusion. The voice was eerily familiar. I gazed up at the moon as I lay my head back down - almost forgetting the people around me. The moon was unnaturally bright... and quadruple the size. That's not possible! My scientific musings were cut short; snapping me back to the present as the figure turned to bark orders to the one next to him.
"Dempshey, if you could shtop eyeing ze fräulein like a piece of meat -- for just one second -- MAKE YOURSHELF USEFUL AND GET TAKEO."
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Into The Aether
FanfictionThis is book one in my series titled "Roses and Blood" Series list: Book One: Into The Aether Book Two: No Turning Back ...................................................................... A woman escapes one disaster for anoth...